


A First Date

by somebodywakeuphicks



Series: Joyce and Hopper Need Each Other-One Shots [2]
Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: F/M, First Date, Infatuation, Joyce and Hopper are meant to be, Shenanigans
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-22
Updated: 2018-01-22
Packaged: 2019-03-08 04:34:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,938
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13450659
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/somebodywakeuphicks/pseuds/somebodywakeuphicks
Summary: Joyce and Hopper go on their first date.





	A First Date

**Author's Note:**

> This is the second work of a sequence of Jopper one shots.
> 
> All stories in this series will have different ratings, so please be aware of that. They may involve different characters and POV, but they are all centered on Hopper and Joyce's relationship in some way.

_Joyce Byers_

  
****

A week after they’d kissed on Hopper’s porch, Joyce wrung her hands as she sat on the couch, waiting for Hopper to pick her up. This would be their first official date, and dwelling on that made her nervous. A knock sounded on the door, and Joyce stood, smoothing her knee length black dress. She felt a bit uncomfortable in the piece she’d picked out. The conservative length of the skirt didn’t worry her, but she’d taken a risk with the top half, a strappy v-cut with two large, flattering red roses. Normally, she wouldn’t wear anything like this, but Hopper had told her to dress nicely. 

Joyce answered the door, standing awkwardly with her arms folded across her middle. 

“Wow, Joyce, you—don’t do that,” Hopper said, guiding her arms down. “You look great.”

“Thanks. I’ll be honest, I feel overdressed. Or underdressed, depending how you look at it.” She cocked a shy smile. 

Jim wore jeans, but he paired them with a button up and sport coat. “Where are the boys tonight?” he asked.

“Both at the Wheelers’. Will is sleeping over. Jonathan is coming home later. I hope.”

Hopper chuckled at that. “Ready?” He held out the crook of his elbow as Joyce took it and walked with him to his truck. He led her to the passenger side and opened the door for her.

“Look at you, Jim Hopper. Quite the gentleman.”

He walked around to the driver’s side, getting in. “Yeah, well, I figure I’ve got this amazing chance to impress this amazing woman, and I want to do it well. Speaking of…” He pulled out a bouquet of red roses and yellow gerbera daisies, handing it to Joyce. “I picked these myself.”

“Seriously?”

“No.” Hopper snickered. “Sorry, they’re from the store.”

Joyce smirked, smacking Hopper’s arm lightly. “They’re beautiful, though. Thank you. So where are we going?”

“We’re going to Indy. I know it’s an hour, but I didn’t like any of the choices in town. We’re gonna go to this Italian place that’s nice.”

“Been there before?”

Hopper’s face reddened a bit. “Yeah, but it wasn’t anything—”

“Hop, I don’t care.”

He smiled. “Okay.”

“So where’s El tonight?” Joyce asked.

“Staying with her Aunt Becky and Terry for a couple days.”

“That’s nice.”

“Yeah, I like her to have some time over there every so often. She enjoys it, too.” Hopper threaded his fingers through Joyce’s. “Is this okay?”

Joyce nodded. 

They chatted the whole way about work, the challenges of parenting, and developments over the last six months. When they got to the restaurant and the host led them to their table, Hopper pulled Joyce’s chair out for her before sitting down himself.

“Hop, you don’t have to do that. It’s sweet, but it’s not necessary. Do you do it for all your dates?”

Hopper snorted. “No.”

“Then don’t do it for me.”  
  
“Trust me, I don’t want to treat you like all my other dates. But I won’t do it if you don’t like it.”

“Thanks,” Joyce said. “I just want you to act normally. I want to be on a date with normal Hopper, not Fake-Best-Version-of-Hopper.”

He laughed at that. “Okay. Wanna just get drinks and get out of here? We can find someplace we’re both more comfortable.”

“Sounds great.”

After ordering a couple cocktails and beers, Hopper and Joyce left the restaurant and walked. Joyce giggled, leaning against Hopper. “We’ve gotta get some food in you,” he joked. 

“Oh! Let’s eat there!” Joyce pointed.

“The diner?” Hopper asked.

“Yeah! Come on!” She grabbed Hopper’s hand and pulled him in.

“How’s the chicken?” Hopper asked after they’d gotten their food.

“Not that great,” she laughed. “How’s the burger?”

“Also not that great. But the ketchup? Top notch.”

Joyce laughed. “What do you wanna do after this?”

“It’s nice. Let’s just keep walking and see what we come across.”

After settling the check, the pair roamed, eventually finding an ice cream shop. They got their rocky road and chocolate chip cookie dough to go. As they wandered some more, they moved away from the bustle of the downtown into a quieter area. “That’s it!”

“What’s it?” Hopper asked.

“The playground!”

Hopper raised his eyebrows, half-laughing. “You can’t be serious.”

“Oh, I’m dead serious. When’s the last time you swung on a swing?”

“No clue. Probably not since elementary school.”

“All the more reason to do it now,” Joyce said. “Let’s go!” 

Hopper hesitated before following her into the gated play area as Joyce hopped onto a swing. “Are you sure you can do that in your dress?”

Joyce kicked her heels off and began pumping her legs, pulling her torso back and leaning it forward. “Come on. Don’t be a party pooper!”

So Hopper joined her. They had a competition to see who could swing the highest. Joyce won. They chased each other up the playground equipment, slid down the slides, and made their way across the money bars. “I’m going to be so sore tomorrow!” Hopper whined, but he smiled as he said it. As they sat back on the swings, Joyce pulled out a cigarette. “Hey, this is a school. Pretty sure that’s not allowed.”

Joyce looked around. “I don’t see anyone stopping us.” Hopper lit up, too, and the pair sat in silence for a few moments. Joyce shivered, and Hopper offered her his coat, which she gladly accepted, wrapping it around her shoulders. “What do you want this to be?” Joyce asked. “I mean, what are you looking for?”

Hopper thought for a minute. “Well, I want to take things slow. But I’m also not looking for just a fling. Not anymore. That’s over and done with. Long-term, I’m looking for someone who will love El just as much as she loves her own kids. No, scratch that. She’ll see El as her own kid. Um, someone I can have fun with. Someone I can relate to. Be comfortable having conversations with. Someone who’ll call me out on my shit, and who’ll let me call her out on her shit. Uh, yeah.” He scratched the back of his head.

Joyce tilted her swing toward Hopper and planted a careful kiss on his mouth. They held each other’s gaze before Hopper brought his hand up to her face, stroking her cheek, and leaned into her once more. “What about you?” he asked.

Joyce positioned her swing back, digging her bare feet into the wood chips, looking at the ground. “Mostly the same things. I’m looking for someone who’ll be there for the long haul. Because my kids deserve that. Someone kind. Who’ll love my kids as his own. Someone who can handle my stubbornness. Who I can talk to and have fun with. Someone who gets me. I haven’t really had that before, you know? Even with Bob. He was getting there, but…” She trailed off. “And, yes, to take it slow. Rushing into something is never a good idea.” She peered up at Hopper. “But _damn_ , that’s going to be hard.”

Hopper stood and pulled Joyce up with him, wrapping his arms around her as he kissed the top of her head, then her lips. Joyce enjoyed the warmth of his mouth, the prickliness of his beard, and even the stale cigarette smell that emanated from his clothing and hair. As they continued, captivated by one another, a bright light suddenly shone on their faces. They squinted, bringing their hands up to shield their eyes. 

“What do you think you’re doing?” a police officer asked.

“Nothing, officer.” Hopper pressed his lips together and squinted in feigned confusion. Joyce brought her hand to her mouth and snorted.

The cop turned his attention toward her. “What’s so funny, miss? Do you know you’re trespassing on private property? Someone called in about suspicious activity at the school.”

“Oh, I’m not laughing at you,” Joyce said, as she continued to giggle. “I’m laughing because we got caught playing in a playground and kissing, and don’t you have better things to do?” She doubled over.

“I’m sorry, officer. We’ll leave. Come on, Jennifer. Let’s go,” he said, pulling Joyce out onto the sidewalk.

“Jennifer? What the ever-loving hell, Hop?”

“Shhh,” Hopper whispered. “He can’t know our real names.”

“Yeah, go. Go home!” the officer called out after them. “Fucking weirdos.”

When the pair got back to Hopper’s blazer, Joyce couldn’t help but make eyes at him. Hopper smirked. “What the hell are you looking at me like that for?”

Joyce walked her fingers up the front of Hopper’s shirt before tapping his nose with her index finger. “You.”

“Did you just boop me on the nose? This is too much!” The rest of the way back to Hawkins, they flirted mercilessly, until Hopper pulled up to Joyce’s house. 

“Come inside,” she coaxed. “Just for a little bit.”

“Is this what taking it slow means, because…”

“Oh, come on, Hop! Just come inside.”

Hopper didn’t argue any further as Joyce took his hand, leading him to her door, unlocking it, and shutting it behind them. She wasted no time pressing him against the wall and thrusting her tongue into his mouth. “Damn it, Joyce. You just bit me,” Hopper said, bringing his hand to his lip to check for blood. 

“Sorry,” Joyce shrugged, glancing away. 

Hopper’s mouth crashed down on hers once more as they stumbled over to the couch. He pulled Joyce on top of him as he grazed his mouth over her collarbone and carefully slid her straps down so he could kiss her shoulders. He pressed his face into her cleavage as she whined, her hips rocking into his. 

Just then, they heard a car pull up. “Oh shit! Jonathan!” Joyce leapt up and fixed her dress, walking quickly into the kitchen as Hopper adjusted his pants. 

Jonathan walked in the door just as Joyce walked back out of the kitchen. “So you wanted decaf or regular? Oh, hey Jonathan! Did you have fun?”

“Yeah. I always go over to Nancy’s. Why are you acting weird?” He eyed the pair.

“Weird? We’re not. I invited Hopper in for some coffee. We just got back.”

“Okay, well I’m going to bed. Goodnight. Please don’t do anything gross.” 

As soon as Jonathan closed the door, Joyce relaxed. “Yeah, that was real smooth,” Hopper jested. 

“Please, like you were any less obvious.”

“In retrospect, we should’ve gone to my place,” Hopper said.

“No. No, this was good. We said we wanted to take things slow, and we are getting way ahead of ourselves.” Joyce sat down next to Hopper. “I had a lot of fun, though. I can’t remember the last time I had this much fun.”

“Hey, don’t thank me. You’re the one who pretty much controlled the show.”

“Well, in any case, I _definitely_ want to do it again, and you better not be a stranger around here, understand?” Hopper stared at her mouth as she spoke, so Joyce bit her bottom lip until he practically whimpered, leaning his face in once more. Joyce liked having that effect on him. The magic of infatuation had kept them both in an intoxicated state all evening.

“I should go,” Hopper nearly growled.

“Yeah, you should.”

“Okay.”

“You’re not moving.”

“Neither are you.”

“I’m already home. You’re the one leaving.”

Hopper sighed, standing up. “Fine. But I’m calling you tomorrow.”

“You better.”

Once Hopper left, Joyce, locked the door, leaning back against the wood. _Shit. I’m a goner._

***

As Hopper got into his truck, he pressed his forehead against the steering wheel before starting the ignition. _Fuck. I’m a goner._


End file.
